Tannery relocation project
THE need for moving the tannery units away from city's Hazaribagh area has always been felt acutely by the environmentalists and the decision makers alike, considering the severe negative impact of the industry on environment. But little progress has been made to relocate them in Savar, even after three years of inauguration of the relocation project there.
The extent of pollution that the tanneries have caused to the river Buriganga is simply mind-boggling, as a huge quantity of toxic materials discharged by the tanneries go into the river, which has become a dumping ground for pollutants from several other sources as well.
So, the decision was taken to save the moribund Buriganga and infuse life into the city's ever worsening environment. However, the government and the tannery owners have yet to strike a common ground on how to implement the project. The owners are asking for compensation, as relocation of the tannery factories would, according them, require an investment to the tune of Tk 4,500 crore. The government had decided to finance setting up of the Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) but the original cost estimated earlier has escalated due to delay, keeping the project on hold. The government has to take a decisive action here. There is a valid point about government extending a helping hand towards implementation of the project, but that does not mean that the industrialists would have to be spoon-fed. Isn't it the turn of tannery owners to feel morally obliged to atone for their sin?
The lack of urgency in handling a problem that has a direct bearing on the lives of a huge number of city dwellers is quite inexplicable. Public health and environmental need to be placed above everything else, if we don't want to invite an environmental disaster of greater magnitude in the days ahead. Allowing tanneries to operate in an ever sprawling and densely populated metropolis sounds primitive in these days of pollution consciousness.
Who are responsible for the damage caused by the tanneries to the people over the years in and around Hazaribagh? And who will pay compensation to them? The sad truth of the matter is that the malady had been diagnosed and a remedy prescribed, but three years have gone by without any tangible progress made on the relocation project.
Let the government and industry owners review the whole situation and find ways around the obstacles in a serious bid to expedite the implementation of the relocation project.
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